Over the years, retail product manufacturers have sought new ways to compress or compact articles of manufacture for a variety of applications. For example, during the 1960s and 1970s, manufacturers promoted their products and attracted consumers by inserting “free” gifts in their product packages, such as compressed sponges in household cleaning devices, and compacted sponge or rubber toys in breakfast food packages.
In more recent years, retail apparel manufacturers have sought ways to condense or minimize the sizes of apparel packaging. For example, manufacturers have looked for new ways to package apparel items such as underwear and T-shirts, which typically are folded and loosely packaged in bulky display packages. These efforts have been driven by the market and economic/cost variables. Smaller package sizes for apparel translates to less required warehouse storage space. Similarly, reduced volume results in lower freight/shipment costs. Further, smaller compact display packaging means that a larger number of items may be displayed in a limited space at the place of retail sale.